Abstract ♦ Living conditions in the modern society, which are associated with the continuously evolving technologies, methods of work and production, as well as with the tough competition both between private companies and between nations as a whole, explain the recently increasing interest of science and society in personality characteristics of the subjects of innovative activities — innovators.
The article presents the results of an empirical research conducted by the author. The purpose of the research was to investigate the personality characteristics and self-concepts of successful young innovators. The total sample of respondents was 131 people: men and women — the Moscow railway employees of various departments aged 20 to 30. The author has used the following psychological tests: "A Metaphorical Self-Portrait of the Person" (T. Yu. Koloshina), "A Test for the Measurement of Self-Actualization" (E. Shostrom), "The Life Style Index" questionnaire (Plutchik — Kellerman — Comte), the viability test of S. Muddy, the coping test of R. Lazarus and S. Folkman, the technique of self-attitude research proposed by S. R. Pantileev.
The results of the research have shown that the successful innovator perceives him/herself as an active actor. Successful innovators are characterized by a high need for self-actualization and self-development, by the desire to influence the world and interact with it actively and creatively. The factor analysis has revealed that personal factors such as "social maturity" and "viability" are associated with success in the field of innovative activities. These factors indicate successful innovators’ desire to follow their own beliefs, attitudes and principles, their ability to develop meaningful contacts with people as well as the sense of possibility to control events occurring in their lives and their consequences.
Keywords: subject of activities, personal characteristics, innovative activities, innovator, self-concept, viability.
Skitovich Anton Alekseevich, postgraduate of the General Psychology and History of Psychology Department, Moscow University for the Humanities. Postal address: 5 Yunosti St., Moscow, Russian Federation, 111395. Tel.: +7 (499) 374-67-20; +7 (499) 464-58-18. E-mail: . Research adviser — Candidate of Science (psychology), associate professor E. G. Surkova.
Citation: Skitovich, A. A. (2014) Individual'no-psikhologicheskie osobennosti uspeshnogo innovatora [The Individual Psychological Characteristics of Successful Innovators]. Znanie. Ponimanie. Umenie, no. 1, pp. 288–294. (In Russ.).
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